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Wednesday, 5 December 2012

Rob da Bank's Bestival wins best major festival award

Bestival has won the top prize at this year's Festival
Awards.

The annual
event, held on the Isle of Wight and organised by Radio 1's Rob da Bank, was
voted best major festival.

On Twitter, the
DJ said: "A 1000 thanks to all who voted for @bestival to win Major UK
festi. we did it! sadly i was lying in bed ill but yes!"

Festival No. 6,
launched this year in Portmeirion, won three prizes including best new
festival, headline performance of the year and promoter of the year.

'Turbulent times'

Bestival won
the best major festival award in 2010 with Glastonbury taking the title last
year.

Despite being
nominated for five awards, Radio 1's Hackney Weekend didn't win anything.

Steve Jenner,
Festival Awards co-founder, said: "It is pleasing to see so many
first-time category winners breaking through this year and indicative of the
dynamic movements in the market at this time.

"Much more
than winning gongs, though, the Festival Awards are about celebrating and
uniting the UK festival industry which, in these turbulent times, is more vital
than ever."

Other winners
at the London ceremony included Download (Line-up), Latitude (Family) and Green
Man (Grass roots).

Cambridge's
Lodestar festival won the honour of having the best toilets.

Django Django's
Default was voted anthem of the summer and Jake Bugg was the breakthrough act.

Live Nation's
chief operating officer, John Probyn, also picked up a lifetime achievement award.